Book-lock



(NQ Model.)

E. E. ROGERS.

BOOK LOCK.

No. 555,829. Patented M51. a, 1895.

u @MMM/5% l w QW@- ira rraras ArtNr ERNEST E. ROGERS, OF NEW LONDON,CONNECTICUT.

BOOK-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,829, dated March 3,1896. Application filed May S, 1895. Serial No. 547,969. (No modeld Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEsT E. Roenes, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of New London, State of Connecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Locks, whichimprovements are fully set forth and described in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawinThe object of this invention is to provide a simple, strong, cheap andserviceable lock for books, which, while effective when in use, may beremoved when no longer needed, and may also be adjusted to and used withbooks of various sizes.

It is frequently desired to use books of accounts in public places,where the contents of the same are exposed unless provided with someform of protection. Most commonly such books after use are placed in asafe or in a vault until again called into use. My present inventionmakes it possible to leave such books in exposed places-as, for example,on desks in offices or on counters in stores-with perfect safety.

To assist in the explanation of my invention I have provided theaccompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective viewof a book, showing my improved locking device properly mounted thereon;and Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged detail views illustrating theconstruction of my said device.

Referring to the drawings, the letter a denotes strips of thin sheetmetal, leather or other suitable material, (but preferably sheet metah)two in number and pivotally secured together at b. The strips a arecaused, when my device is in use in connection with a book, to passaround the same at right angles to each other-that is, one of saidstrips passes around the book, drawing across the back and front edgesthereof, while the companion strip passes around said book, drawingacross its top and bottom edgesas readily understood by reference toFig. 1 of the drawings. When the strips a are in t-he positionsrelatively to eachl other just described, the ends thereof are sosecured together as to prevent their displacement on the book, and itwillbe readily understood that when thus secured any attempt to open thebook would be futile.

To secure together the free ends of the strips a, I have provided what Ihere term a shoe c, having each end thereof upturned, as at c', in eachof which upturned portions is provided an opening c2. Midway the lengthof shoe c is a projection or staple c3 for a purpose to be explained.

Shoe c is fiXedly secured to one end of one of the strips a by riveting,as in Fig. 2, or in any practicable manner, (said strip being passedthrough one of the openings 02,) and the free end of said strip and alsothe ends of the companion strip are all provided with openings a',located at stated distances apart in each of said ends, said openingscorresponding in shape to they projection c3. The projection c3preferably extends in a direction at an angle of forty-five degrees tothe general direction of the shoe c, and the openings a designed tocoact therewith are located at a corresponding angle in the strips a.When thus constructed it will be seen that the several perforated endsof strips a present a uni form appearance, as shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings.

Vhen it is desired to use my device in connection with a book, thepivoted portion of strips a is rst placed against one side thereof, andsaid strips are then passed around the book atright angles to eachother,as already explained. Strips a are drawn as tightly as possible, andthen the free ends provided with the openings a are passed successivelyover the projection c3, said projection c3 entering that opening a ineach of the ends of strips a which has been drawn coincident with saidprojection. The free end of strip a bearing shoe c, after being passedaround the book, is introduced to the projection c3 through the openingc2, as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings, and should there be anoverlapping end of said strip beyond projection c3 said end, if ofsufficient length, may be passed through the companion opening rc2 tothat last mentioned, said opening serving to prevent loose play of saidend.

To prevent the removal of strips a from projection c3, an ordinarypadlock d may be employed, as shown in the drawings, the bow IOO thereofbeing passed through a hole c4 in said projection and then locked, afterwhich the strips cannot be removed from the projection until the saidlock has been removed. A chain e may also be provided, whereby the lockis secured to the shoe c.

I have already stated that the strips a are pivotally secured together;thus making it possible, when the device is not in use, to swing thestrips a parallel after which the complete device can then be rolledinto a very small compass.

Nhile I have shown and described the shoe c, it will be apparent thatthis feature could be dispensed with, as the projection c3 could be aswell secured directly to one of the strips a and the device be equallyoperative. rlhe particular advantage in employing the shoe c lies in thefact that by means of the uptu'rned ends thereof, through which one ofthe strips a passes, it provides bearings for said strip at pointssomewhat distant from the projection c3, and thus endwise movement ofthe strip is prevented. It will also be seen that a double form of shoecould be provided, shaped substantially like a cross, and thus sidewiseplay of both strips prevented. The lock d could also have substitutedtherefor other forms of fastening devices, as, for example, a lockoperated by means of a combination, in which case no key would beneeded. Y

Any possible sidewise movement of the strips a may be done away with bymaking said strips of considerable width, it being' apparent that Whenthe device is locked in position upon a book the greater the width ofsaid strips the less will be the liability of their endwise displacementthereon.

My device as a whole may be very cheaply produced, is of neatappearance, of verysimple construction, and performs in a verysatisfactory manner the work for which it is designed.

Having thus described my invention, l claim- In combination, in abook-lock, two ilexible bands pivotally secured together atapproximately midway their length, the ends of said bands being passedaround said book and connected by a staple secured to a shoe havingguide portions c c2, substantially as set forth, and a padlock securedto said staple.

ERNEST E. ROGERS. Vitnesses:

W. II. WooDwoR'rH, LOREN E. DABOLL.

